Truck for transporting poultry



Dec. 11, 1928.

L. A. COHEN TRUCK FOR TRANSPORTING POULTRY 'cs-Sheet L. A.. COHEN TRUC( FOR TRANSPORTING POULTRY Filed March l2, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 11', 1928. 1,694,732

- L.. A. COHEN TRUCK FOR TRANSPORTING POULTRYv Filed March 12, 1926 4 sheets-sheen 5 Dec. 11, 192s, 'I 1,694,732

L. A. COHEN TRUCK FOR TRANSPORTING POULTRY Filed March 12. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 pg?, attorney;

patented Een ll., 192th PATENT QFFICE.

Louis A. oonEn, or CENTRAL CITY, KENTUCKY.

VTenci: EOE, TRAnsreaTiNe roULTnY.

Appicatenled March 12, 1923G. Serial No. 94,257.

to a motor truck for carrying poultry and.

eggs to a shipping or trading point. One ob- `iect or the invention is to provide means whereby eggs may be transported at the saine time poultry is shipped without liability to breakage, and another object of theinvention is to provide means whereby the fowls will be supplied with iood an dl waterduring transportation. iinother object of the 'invention is to provide a structure which will permit the interior ot' the truck ervan to be cleared so that upon a return trip other forms oi' merchandise may be carried. K

dental objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly ypointed out in the appended claims' f ln y the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment ot the invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation o'l a motor truck havin@ the invention applied thereto,.the side um curtain being partly broken away;

. the line Q--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged. detail longitudinal section on the line 3 3 ot' Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4t of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view ot a portion of the truck;

Fig. 6 is a detail rear elevation ofv theupper portion of the truck; l

Fig. 7 is a. detail showing the manner in which some of the parts are supported with- A in the truck; i

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail plan views of blanks 'from wiich some Vot the supporting elements are formed; is

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail section on the line 10--10 of Fig. 5.

lt/ly invention relates particularly to the construction oi the vehicle body, and the chassis or truck frame l may be ot anyknown or approved forni, the body 2 constituting my present invention being set upon the chassis immediately in rear ot the cab 8, as shown in F ig. 1 and as will be readily understood.

ln carrying out my invention, l set upon the chassis 1 cross bars or sills Ll which may be secured in position in any convenient manner, and upon these cross bars or sills l` sea cure a tired bottoni or floor To said door 5 at intervals l secure theI lower ends of rods @ther inci- 2 is an enlarged transverse section on I er. Button or snap iasteners 1e are provided or bars 6 which constitute a series extending along the longitudinal nie-dial line .of the floor and are secured at their upper ends to a rooi 7. 'I also provide side bars or up'- rights V8 which are arranged in pairs atintervals in the length of the floor andare also secured at their upper ends, to the roof so that the rooic will be firmly supported Across y the front of the roof and along thesides ol the same l provide a tank 9 which is equipped with a filling nipple 10 so thatwater may be supplied ythereto in an obvious manner.

The

particular shape of the tank is immaterial but it is preferably oi the triangular form shown in Fig. 2 in cross section whereby wind `5 resistance is minimized and thesides of the tank may be utilized as supports for the side curtains 11 in fair yweather. l To carry the side curtains upon the tank, .hook-shaped brackets 12 are secured upon the sides ot the tank at intervalsinthe length thereof and the curtain 11 is provided along its upper edge with rings or eyes 13 adapted to engage over the hooks so that they may be suspend@ ed therefrom close to the sides of the body 2 to protect the fowls against inclement weathalong the edges of the curtains sotliat they may b e fastened to the uprights Sand to the lower frame 0r floor 5 to be held close to the body in a Well-known manner. Then the weather is warm and ventilation through the body is desirable, the edges of the curtains are released from the side tramesv and the an out ofthe way manner. Outlet pipes 15 extend downwardly from the tank so as to supply water to the several coops or coinpartments of the truck body and upon these pipes are mounted faucets or similar discharge controlling means 16 which may be adjusted tor permit the water to discharge very slowly so y that an adequate supply for the owls will be maintained but overlow and waste is not apt to occur. Y y It will beV noted at once that the tank de lines aspace in which articles niay be placed and will be held by the tank from rolling over`r the sides of the truck body. This spaceluti- :liZe primarilyy for the shipping of eggs in boes or other containers and to guard Yagainst breakage I provide the yieldable floors er platforms 1'? and 18 which may be fiio constructed in sections, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 5 and l0, and each of which rests upon a plurality of springs 19, the said springs being preferably bowed leaf springs having their terminals and their intermediate portions disposed to rest freely upon the roof of the truck body or upon the lower floor, as the case may be, while immediately adjacent the bowed terminals the end portions of the springs are secured to the under sides of the respective floors. To prevent the boxes or other containers sliding 0H the rear end of the licor 17, I provide the gate or guard 2() which is connected with and held by the tank ends through the medium of hooks 2l secured upon the guard or gate and. engageable in eyes 22 on the tank, as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

The upright supporting bars or frame bars Gand 8 are arranged in pairs as has been stated and as shown in Figs. l, 3 and Upon each of these bars are provided supporting lugs or holders which are arranged in such number and in such spaced relation as may be needed to accommodate any desired number of crates or poultry-carrying compartments. ln the ,present illustration, I have shown three columns on each side of the vehicle with three tiers in each column. The supporting lugs or holders, as shown most `clearly in Fig. 7, each comprises a downwardly tapered sleeve 23 which is open at both its upper and its lower ends and is pro- Y vided with a vertical space or gap 24 at a proper point to be engaged by a tongue upon the supported member. The sleeve 23 is circular in section and is secured to the supporting frame bar by brazing or otherwise as may be most convenient. As will be understood upon reference to Figs. 2 and 4, the holders 23 are provided on the inner sides of the frame bars 8 and also upon both sides of the frame bars 6. Disposed between each outer frame bar and the transversely alined intermediate frame bar is a shelf or support 25 which is provided at each end with a locking lug 26 similar in form to the supporting lu g or sleeve 23 so that by inserting the shelf through the outer side of the body, while slightly elevated above the floor or the proper supporting sleeves, until the locking lugs 2-5 are alined vertically with the respective sleeves, the shelves or supports may be moved downwardly so that the lugs 26 will ride into engagement with thesleeves and thereby support the shelves in their proper places and hold them against displacement. As shown in Fig. 7, each shelf 25 comprises an upper horizontal tread member 27, a riser member 28 at each end of which is a tongue 29 integrally connecting the riser with the locking lug 26, and, at the lower end of the riser 23, a base or foot 30 which is adapted to rest upon the iioor 5 or extend inwardly to provide a support for members which will be presently identified. ln Fig. 8, I have shown a plan view of a sheet metal blank from which the shelf 25 may be produced, it being readily seen that the blank may be stamped from a piece of sheet material at one operation and then, in a suitable bending machine, may be folded into the proper form, the locking lug being produced by rolling the end extensions upon themselves in an obvious manner. is shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 1l, the shelves or supporting members also einployed in pairs, the free edges of the tread mei bers 27 meeting midway between the planes of the frame bars 6 and 3 so that they form a continuous flush surface upon which a feed box 3l may be supported. rlliis feet boi: may be made of any inexpensive materialand filled before being inserted in the truck and to put the feed box in place it is necessary merely to slide it endwise between the frame bars so that it will rest upon the shelves 25 and bridge the jointV between the tread members 27 thereof. The feed bones are each provided in one wall with openings 32 so that the fowls may have ready access to the feed. After the boxes have been put inplace, the inner vertical ends of the transversely alined boxes will abut at the cene ter of the truck, as shown at 33 in Fig. Ll, and inward movement of the boxes will be thereby prevented. To prevent outward movement and consequent loss of the boxes, l provide a plurality of latches 34C which are pivoted on one of the frame bars 8 and are adapt.- ed to engage suitable hasps or keepers 35 on the adjacent frame bar, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 1 and 4:. rlhe supporting members or shelves 25 are provided at intervals transversely of the truck and the feed boxes are so arranged that each feed bon will supplyl one compartment. l-lolding sleeves 23 are provided on the edges of the frame bars 6 and S, except at the outer vertical edges of the foremost and rearmost frame bars, and carried by these last-mentioned holding sleeves 23 are supporting plates which, at the sides of the structure, are L- shaped bars having vertical webs or flanges 36 and horizontal lips or flanges 37 at the lower edges of the said webs 36 and projecting inwardly therefrom, the said supporting plates being provided at each end with a loclring lug Y 3S engaoeable in the corres `)Ondineholdin@ d 5D n t1 f1 sleeve 23 in the manner previously described.

At the medial longitudinal line vet the truclr, t-he supporting plates are in the form of an inverted T consisting of a folded or doubled upstanding web or rib 39, from the lower edges of which flanges 40 project in opposite directions, these supporting plates being provided at their ends with locking lugs al corresponding in all respects to the locking lugs 25 previously described and engageabie in the corresponding sleeves as before set forth. In Fig. 9, I have illustrated a blan lll) from which the supportingplates 39 and 40 may vbe produced in an obvious manner and it will be noted that this blank is very simir lar to the blank shown in Fig. 8 toproduce the supporting member or shelf 25, These lips or flanges 3G, 37 and 40 are intended to support the floors of upper chambers but are not necessary in the lower-most chamber for the reason that the floor 5 of the vehicle body is utilized as the 'floor of the lowermost comn partments. At the outer side of the lower" most compartment in each column is provided a trough 4Q which is disposed under the lowermost faucet or water-regulating device 16 and rests directly upon the floor 5. Vlo prevent displacement of this trough, however, during travel of the vehicle over rough roads, it is provided at its ends with locking lugs similar to the locking lugs 26 and engageable in holding sleeves 23 at the lower edges of the frame bars 8.A The floors 43 of the upper compartments are provided withintegral troughs 44 along their outer edges,

and these lloors are removably carriedby the lips-30, 37 and 40, as shown in 2, 3 and 4. Vllo place the floors 43 inposition, they are inserted through the open outer sides of the respective compartments while held elevated su'liciently to clear the several holding sleeves upon the frame bars. 'lhey are also preferably sliO-htly canted or tilted so that they will avoid damaging contact with the water pipes or the feed boxes. After the water pipes have been cleared, the floor may be turned to a horizontal position and caused to rest upon the supporting lips or flanges 87 and 40, as will be understood. The several watering troughs are all provided with transverse spaced partitions 45 so that the splash-ing of water due to the vibra-- tion of thetraveling vehicle will be minimized and these partitions are provided with openings 4G through their lower edges' to permit the water to flow from end to end of the trough.

Along the center of the vehicle, l provide reticulated partitions 47 which may be of any well-known general form and are sup-- ported in place by engaging hooks 48 provided at their ends through openings 49 provided therefor in the respectively adjacent frame bars 6. These partitions are obviously removable so that repairs or cleaning may be easily accomplished and also to permit the entire interior of the body to be cleared when merchandise other than poultry is to be transported. The several floors 43 are likewise easily remorable for the saine purpose and,

of course, the intermediate supporting shelves or plates 39 may be easily. removed so that, when poultry is not to be transported, the entire interior of the body becomes available to hold other articles.

The outer side of each compartment is closed by a screen or reticulated door iO-which is supported its upper end by hinges 5l engaged with hinge bars 52 provided upon the outer. sides of the respective strips 36 and adapted to hang by gravity against the/stop lugs 52 secured upon the yisespectively ad- 'jacent frame bars 8, as shown in Fig. lhese doors are each provided with an opein faucet 16 and permit the flow of water to` be shut olf or otherwise regulated from the eX- terior of the vehicle. To hold the doors in closed position., locking rods 54 are secured at their upper ends in the roof 'l' and depend therefroiu at the outer sideo'lE each column of doors,l the lower endoit eachilocking rod being provided with an opening 55 there through through which is engaged a rod 5G secured atits 'front end in the foremost cross bar 4 and provided at or scent its rear end with a suitable opening to receive the haspI of a lock` 5'? whereby it may be secured to a lug or bracket 58 on the licor or other fixed part of the devic rlhe poultry are, ofcourse, placed inthe several compartments andthe outer doors 50 then lowered to closed position. The several vertical locking rods 54 on veach side of the track are then brought into proper position, the rods 56 inserted through the lower en c of said rods and the locks "il fastened., all the doors being thus secured.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that l have provided a very simple and inexpensive structure whereby a motor truck may be utilized to carry poultry and eggs to a market or shipping point and then the several elements whereby the poultry containing chambers or compartments are delined may be easily separated and placed within the truck body or upon the top of the same within the space defined by the tank to permit the interior of the body to be utilized for transportation or other merchandise. lli/Thilo the feed boxes will constitute rear walls for the several poultry containing chambers or compartments, it is desirable to provide some other form of closure for the rear end ofthe body when poultry is not to be transported and to that end l provide the doors 60 which are removably hinged, shown at 6l., to the rearmost frame bars 8 and are so disposed as to meet at the center of the rear end of the truck. rlhese doors may be easily hung when Vmerchandise other than poultry is to be transported and may be just as easily removed and stored when poultry is to be transported.

Having thus described the invention, l claim:

l. A vehicle for transporting poultry and the like comprising a supporting frame, spaced uprights secured upon said frame along the sides and transverse center thereof, transverse and longitudinal shelves detachably'engaged with the uprights to be suping 55 so as to accommodate the handle ofthe i ported thereby, feed boxes resting upon the transverse shelves and forming partitions between adjoining compartments, floors supported at their edges by the several shelves and means on the upright-s for preventing release of the feed boxes.

21A vehicle for transporting,` poultryT and the like comprising; a supliiortingv frame including vertical frame bars, downwardly tapered split sleeves carried vby said trame bars at intervals in their heir; t, shelves provided at their ends With locking` lugs adapted to engage Within and be supported by the said sleeves, oors resting upon said shelves, partitions detachably connected to some of' the frame bars over some of the shelves, 'feed boxes disposed over other shelves and carried thereby at the ends of said partitions, and doors mounted at the outer ends of the said feed boxes.

3. A truck for transportingpoultry and the like comprising' a supporting` iframe, means detachably mounted on the trame for deiining` and constituting series of poultry receiving` compartments, doors provided Ythe outer ends of the several compartments and hinged at their upper edges, locking bars secured to the supportingv frame and extending vertically across each column of doors, locking rods engaged through the lower ends of said locking bars and each secured at one end to the frame and provided at its opposite Yend with means for locking` it against displacement. Y

ll. A vehicle for transporting poultry and the like comprising` upright frame bars arranged in compartinent-deiining relation, shelves detachablymounted on said frame bars, -feed boxes resting' on the shelves and slidable between vertically success 'e shelves whereby to consJ g lateralljfY ivitli respect to the tread ns, noors resting at their edges on the portions et the shelves, feed boxes restv on the tread portions of adjacent shelves and constituting.partitions between adjacent compartments, and means on the frame bars to restrain the li'eed boxes ln testimony Whereofl aihx my si gnature.

Louis A.. conan. 

